Being that I don't want this section of the forum to die, I'm creating this thread.

Post your favorite brand of wax and list the reasons you like it:

I'll start:

Meguire's NXT 2.0 liquid wax.
Because it goes on easy, doesn't take very long to dry and comes off easy with little or no residue, and leaves a great non-greasy shine.

YOUR TURN!

 

Use Maguire's Gold Class on white Volvo, silver Honda, and dark blue '00 Chrysler Sebring (wife's summer toy). Easy on and off (but its not a polish, so look and feel your paint surface first) and reasonably durable. Since I'm lazy, I like the durable aspect of the brand. Pretty good at shedding road crud in carwash, too.

 

Both are Synthetic polymer sealants... They bring out the pearl in your paint, the more coats you apply, the harder your paint gets which resists chipping, creates the longest lasting reflective surface on the paint and lasts upto 6 months between applications. Need I say anything else!?

 

I used Klasse and the first time it rained and dried on the car I got perma-waterspots. They will not come out. To this day if you look at the car at the right angle it is covered in waterspots. And to add insult to injusry detailcity.com where I bought it from refused to offer any assistance or give me Klasse's contact information. I will NEVER buy a product from detailcity again. I even told them in an email that they had lost a customer and they still offered nothing. I spent $50.00 on this stuff and used almost none of it. (In fact if anyone want it I'll sell both the glaze and all-in-one small bottles for $25 + shipping) I think the only way I will be able to get them out is to have it professionally detailed.

 

I must say Meguire's NXT does a great job. No mater what wax you use. It's all in the prep work...

 

If you wet sand your paint, the water spots will come off! So did the rain hit the finish while drying/curing??

 

I'm hesitant to wet-sand anything because I am by no means a professional. It seems like it would do more harm than good.

I did get a tube of Meguire's Scratch X 2.0 yesterday. I'm thinking about using that with my random orbital on the whole car...


And the first rain after I applied the product was long after the 48 hour curing time. Disappointed!

 

What prep work do you do?
Clay bar?

 

I like Turtle Wax's Black Box. It's a 3 step kit specifically for black cars; Takes some time but looks great when you're done!

 

I'd try it if I had a black car...

Sometimes I wish I did.

 

A good citrus wash before I start my claying. Then I use a aerospace grade clay bar to clay my clear coat, before polishing and waxing. Claying is basically removing very small particulars from the surface you cars paint or clear coat. Run you fingers alongside your paintwork. If it feels like sandpaper and not glass, and you can hear the surface tension from your fingers. It needs to be clayed. Once a vehicle has been clayed polishing and then waxing goes on and off very fast. I clay every three months.

Check this link for more info:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEfLGL59GI&NR=1


Then I tape off all chrome and non-paint surfaces. Next comes my 3M Perfect-It ll Rubbing Compound with a DeWalt DW849 polisher and wool pads. Then various waxes from Meguiars with foam pads. Then waxing by hand If I have time.

 

Yeah I clay bar all the time.
It's a good thing to do.

 

I love the look of black cars, soooo sexy!

 

You know what they say...
Black isn't a color, it's a second job!

 

Very true, but it's a labor of love!

 

Yes, i also use Synthetic polymer, it last up to 6 months, not like the other brand of waxes, it lasts only 3 months...

 

I use Mc Guires for everything, good stuff and it smells pretty good too. Just take your time in a shaded area, truck needs to be cool. Section by section buddy.

 

I have a few I like depending on the color of the car. However I use Optimum, 3M(professional grade), Wolfgang, P21S, and a few others.... but again it depends on the car and the color. Different cars require different treatment of the paint.

I am a professional detailer... I can write up a "how to" if anyone is interested.

 

Here's an old Ford Escort I did as a demo(the weirdness in the bumper is where I edited out the plate):



This is a Lexus (they have a med hardness clear coat). This car had about a 1.5years of auto car washes... so much for that idea....

Before:


After I was done:

 

Yes, darkknight, please elaborate. I have a 3 month old black Volvo and I would love to know a professional detailer's recommendations for maintaining and preserving the beautiful black finish. I was looking at the Zymol for Volvo option, but am open to anything. I've had many Volvo's but never a black one before.